Articles by David Welch

GM to Sell Stake in Michigan EV Battery Plant to LG Energy

General Motors Co. is selling its stake in an electric-vehicle battery plant in Lansing, Michigan, to South Korean partner LG Energy Solution, recouping about $1 billion in investment from a facility that will still supply energy cells to the automaker’s …

GM, Ford Fall on Trump Tariffs Seen Adding $3,000 to Car Prices

Shares of US automakers tumbled on worries that a new round of tariffs imposed by President-elect Donald Trump will cause sticker prices to soar even further. Trump said that he would impose additional 10% levies on goods from China and …

Trump Team Is Seeking to Ease US Rules for Self-Driving Cars

Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team have told advisers they plan to make a federal framework for self-driving vehicles one of the Transportation Department’s priorities, according to people familiar with the matter. If new rules enable wider deployment of …

Cruise Gets More Oversight After California Robotaxi Dragging Incident

General Motors Co.’s robotaxi company will undergo tougher oversight and pay a fine to settle claims by US auto safety regulators that it failed to properly disclose information about a crash involving one of its cars that struck and dragged …

GM Ends OnStar Driver Safety Program After Privacy Complaints

General Motors Co. has ended its OnStar Smart Driver program after customers complained it violated their privacy. OnStar had cut deals with LexisNexis and Verisk to share personal driving data as part of the program, which they then shared with …

GM’s Cruise Prepares to Resume Robotaxi Testing After Halt

General Motors Co.’s Cruise autonomous driving unit is nearing the resumption of robotaxi testing in the coming weeks, with Houston and Dallas emerging as potential locations, following the grounding of its fleet last year, according to people with knowledge of …

GM’s Cruise Owns Up to Robotaxi Mess in Hopes of Returning to Roads

General Motors Co. blamed poor leadership for mishandling its Cruise robotaxi crisis, an admission the carmaker is hoping will help get its cars back on the roads. A report by the law firm Quinn Emanuel, hired by GM and Cruise, …

Art Collector Says Van Gogh Painting on Display in Detroit Museum Was Stolen From Him

In October, the Detroit Institute of Arts pulled back the curtains on its three-month Van Gogh exhibit, proudly boasting that its expo of 74 paintings was one of the largest-ever collections assembled of the Dutch master’s famous works. Now a …

Hertz Makes Settlement Offers to End False Arrest Lawsuits

Hertz Corp. has offered to settle about three dozen cases filed by renters that say they were wrongly arrested for auto theft, the company said.The settlement push comes after Colleen Batcheler took over as general counsel for the rental company. …

Michigan Flood Puts Privately Owned Dams in Harsh Spotlight

The dams that breached after days of heavy rain in central Michigan are privately owned and had been the center of controversy for several years. Now Governor Gretchen Whitmer is saying these critical facilities should not be in private hands. …